During her teen years, Helen Coghlan dreamt of becoming a hairdresser. But apprentice jobs were few and far between, so to earn a bit of money she agreed to work as her dad's assistant.
Only, her father Arthur didn't have a standard office job; he was a high-profile magician and escapologist!
"I thought I'd do it until something better came along," Helen says with a warm laugh. "That was over 40 years ago - and we're still a team."
For Helen, now 57, joining the family business' was a natural step. She'd grown up with Arthur's passion for magic and his drive to perform impressive stunts that wowed audiences.
Arthur had made a name for himself around the Gold Coast, but really wanted to do a big stunt that would propel him into superstardom.
That moment came in 1979 when he appeared on The Don Lane Show and nearly died escaping from a locked 166-litre steel barrel that was suspended 30 metres in the air. Arthur, now 90, admits, "I knew I had to do something big and dangerous. I didn't realise how dangerous it would be."
This story is from the September 04, 2023 edition of New Idea.
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This story is from the September 04, 2023 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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